She Took Me to the Hallway to Explain My “Place”

navy evening gown, one hand resting confidently on the seating chart.

“Isabella, darling,” she called.

She always managed to make the word darling sound like polite criticism.

“You’ve done a beautiful job,” I said as I approached.

“Well,” she replied smoothly, “successful events don’t happen by accident.”

She made one final mark on the seating chart before continue reading …